The Intersect Chronicles
by KGN2112
Summary: This is the story of the first successful Intersect agent since Chuck himself. The whole gang is back, but they're now part of the IOF, the Intersect Operations Force . The events take place two years after the finale...  Read and review!
1. Prologue

_Okay guys, I've finally plucked up the courage to start posting my fan fiction here. I created a new character and inserted him into our beloved Chuck world.  
>I set the story two years after the events of the fifth season finale. My character, Code named James Stark (real name is revealed in chapter 3) is the first fully trained Intersect agent since Chuck himself. The character is loosely based on myself, so at times it will seem that I'm trying to copy Chuck, but I promise I'm not. It's just that I identified with Chuck a lot while watching the TV show and I thought it'd be cool to create a character that could interact with him and that had a lot in common (and I'm a huge nerd, so I do have quite a lot in Common with Mr. Bartowski). I don't consider myself a very good writer, but my love for Chuck made me overlook that small self-esteem issue. Writing has been very therapeutic for me since Chuck ended. I just wanted to keep the Chuck vibe alive, and that's what I try to do with this fan fiction. The first half of the prologue is somewhat unnecessary for Chuck fans, but I thought it kind of help set the mood. I hope you enjoy my story. All criticism is much appreciated, but please be gentle. If you have something bad to say, please recur to constructive criticism rather than trolling. I am a bit cheesy at times, but I try <em>_not __to overdo it. I'm fairly new here, so I apologize if this italic intro is too unorthodox, but I felt like I had to write it._

_Once again, I'm sorry if my writing is bad and I hope you enjoy this fan fiction._

The Intersect Chronicles

Prologue

After 9/11, the CIA and the NSA were instructed to share their intelligence. The Intersect computer was created. It had the ability not only to store knowledge, but also to embed it. The first Intersect was downloaded by Charles Bartowski, who then became the first agent to have it in his head. Shortly after, the Intersect 2.0 was created. This new version could embed not only knowledge, but also abilities into an agent's brain.

It took the government two years to rebuild the Intersect after the end of project Bartowski. Since the programming keys had been used on the glasses in the last upload made by Agent Carmichael, the new Intersect could not be enhanced or reprogrammed, so a mere copy of the version Charles Bartowski had was created.

General Beckmann then created the Intersect Operations Force in an attempt to make all suitable field agents able to use the Intersect computer. After the fiasco of the Greta project it is a top priority that the new agents do not fail.

This is the story of the first successful Intersect agent since Charles Bartowski…


	2. Chapter 1  The First Mission

Chapter 1: The "First" Mission

The hotel corridor was long and dimly lit. His nervousness made it seem endless. But why was he having such a feeling now? His emotions, the very ones he had learned how to control, were now pouring into him. He was an Intersect agent now. He couldn't let them overcome him or else he'd fail. At least that's what he'd been told. This was his first solo mission after the Intersect training program in Prague. There he had learned how to control the incredible power of the world's most advanced supercomputer in order to protect his country. He couldn't help thinking about the first Intersect: Charles Bartowski (code name Carmichael), who also struggled with his emotions while acting in the field. These thoughts soothed his consciousness, allowing him to regain control.

The timing was perfect, for he had found the room he had been looking for. With his right hand he reached for his handgun while reaching for the door knob with his other hand. Gently pushing the door, he went in.

The room seemed empty, but it was fairly big, so he couldn't be sure. There was a mahogany desk on the right, with a night light turned on and a few books under its yellow light. To the left there was a big window with long, wavelike drapes falling from the ceiling and right in the middle of the room there was a huge brownish-red armchair facing a fireplace. - "How cliché is this? My first mission seems to have been taken from an old movie. Is this for real?"

It was no surprise to him when the chair turned. He was surprised, however, by whom he saw sitting in it. The one and only General Beckmann. "Ah, Mr. Stark, how nice of you to join me. As you can see, your first mission was still part of your training. Unlike Bartowski's training, I did not oversee any part of yours, so this mission served merely for you to prove your true valor to me and to the NSA. You got through the security quite well. Don't worry, we took the precaution of changing your ammo to non-lethal rounds. None of our agents were hurt. At least not too seriously, seeing as you appear to have something against headshots, which was good in this case, but might still get you killed in the future. Keep that in mind next time."

"So what good was this mission if it was all a fake... Sir, I mean Madam, I mean…"

"General is fine, Stark. It wasn't completely fake. All the guards were armed… with actual bullets – added the General after seeing Stark look down at his own gun - "and they were in fact instructed to kill"

"What?' began Stark, but he stopped at once when he saw the stern look on General Beckmann's face. "Well you see, Mr. Stark, I had to be sure you could perform. Bartowski never fired a real gun during his training. You did, but I had to be sure you could also shoot men you didn't know with bullets you thought were real. That was the purpose of this mission. Just because Bartowski functioned well without killing doesn't mean I want every Intersect agent to be like that. I also don't want a bunch of mindless trigger happy morons like the agents who participated in the Greta project. I need balance. And tonight, you proved you have it. Report to Langley in the morning. There you will meet your handler and the rest of your team. Good job today, and good luck".

As he left, Stark still couldn't believe his first spy mission had actually been his final spy test. But still there was more to come, he just didn't know it yet…


	3. Chapter 2 The Team

Chapter 2: The Team

"Today is the day" though Chuck as he got up from bed. He looked to his side and saw Sarah still fast asleep. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, even in her sleep, with her hair all messy and without any makeup.

It had been two years since she had lost her memory. After the Intersect was rebuilt, Chuck attempted to program a version that could restore her memory, but without the keys – which had been destroyed when he uploaded the Intersect – it was impossible. And when Chuck had all but lost hope, Ellie came through for him. She developed a way to remove the suppressed intersect from Sarah's brain and, since then, she had recovered almost completely. Bits and pieces started coming back, slowly at first, but increasingly fast over the last year. Before she had the procedure, small things were coming back, such as her remembering how Chuck diffused a bomb all those years ago by planting the Irene DeMova virus on a laptop; but then, after the Intersect had been fully removed, she started remembering more important things, like the first time she had kissed Chuck, the time at the Buy More where he'd given her his mother's charm bracelet, the first time Chuck said he loved her, the first time she told Chuck she loved him, her rescue mission in Thailand and, finally, their wedding. Sure she had already seen the Project Bartowski mission log that she herself recorded and she'd heard Chuck tell her all their stories, but feelings are deeply attached to memories and it was not until she began to remember that she started to truly be herself again. Now that she was almost one hundred percent cured, Chuck was overwhelmed with happiness.

After he freed himself from his worries, he remembered why he was anxious and somewhat optimistically happy. Today he would meet his new asset.

"The promising James Stark. The first fully trained Intersect agent since myself. Can't wait to see what the kid's got."

He wrote a note for Sarah and put it on his pillow. After kissing her gently on the forehead, he left for Castle, where he was to meet his new agent. Chuck was incredibly anxious. "I just don't want this guy to be a douche. I mean seriously, having the Intersect is a great responsibility. But I've got my hopes up. After all he didn't kill anyone in his last test, even though he was unaware they were our agents. That should count for something, right?"

While trying to reassure himself inside his own mind, Chuck heard footsteps down the tunnel. They were getting louder and echoed with incredible ease due to the concrete walls. Two men walked in the room. Both of them very tall and wearing suits, but only one had a black bag over his head. "Casey, was this all really necessary?" asked Chuck, with a slight grin, because he knew of all the little habits Colonel John Casey had that helped him remain calm. Although nowadays he did it just for fun or when it was extremely necessary. Casey had softened up quite a bit after having been reunited with his daughter. The fact that he had been dating Gertrude Verbanski was also to blame for the soft, yet still deadly, John Casey.

"Well, now that he's finally gonna be working in the field, don't you think he should get used to a few black bags? It's the easiest way to not let someone see where you're taking them, you know? It's either that or you knock'em out cold or rip their eyes out" said Casey sarcastically. "But usually the violence only starts when the bag comes off" he continued. "Not that there'll be any now!" added Casey with half a grin on his face.

The Colonel removed the bag from agent Stark's head. He was surprisingly calm. "Better than I would have been." thought Chuck.

James Stark was 23 years old, 6'2'' tall, with green eyes and very dark brown hair, almost black, depending on how the light hit it. He looked at Chuck with admiration, for he knew all of agent Carmichael's missions.

"Mr. Stark, isn't it?"

"Yes Mr. Carmichael sir."

"Forget the formalities, you can just call me Chuck. And my last name is Bartowski, not Carmichael, as I'm sure you know." Said Chuck, trying to sound as harsh as he could. He wanted to see Stark's reaction.

"Sorry… uhm, Chuck. It's just that I'm kind of nervous. I've been a fan of your spy work ever since I read your mission reports when I was first recruited for the Intersect program in Prague. After completing my training, my respect for you grew even stronger, especially after I saw what it takes to make the Intersect work. I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity."

Chuck was holding back a smile. Sure the speech had been a little too much, but he loved this kid. "Humble, respectful and talented. Even when I was a douche he kept cool. Now I need to ask the most important question so far." thought Chuck.

"So, do you like Star Wars?"

Stark looked at Chuck for a while, pondering whether it was a serious question or not. He didn't really want anyone to know how nerdy he actually was. Maybe that was frowned upon in the spy world. But he decided to be honest.

"Very much sir, I mean Chuck."

"And which trilogy do you prefer?"

"Although I do enjoy Revenge of the Sith, I have to go with the original trilogy, especially The Empire Strikes Back."

"Golden." thought Chuck. He grinned at Casey, who merely grunted back after witnessing such a display of nerdiness.

Chuck was not only relieved, but also happy. He couldn't wait to start reading field reports from agent Stark's missions and even going on missions with him. He was expecting a lot from the kid, but he had a feeling James could handle his expectations just fine.

And just like that, the first fully operational IOF team was ready. James Stark and John Casey would act as main field agents, being assisted by Chuck and Sarah on more demanding missions and Morgan would monitor everything from Castle or from the van, as always.

Now all that was left to do was wait for orders from the General.

And orders were on the way…


	4. Chapter 3 The Red Tests

Chapter 3: The Red Test(s)

The whole team was down at Castle awaiting orders from Beckmann. Stark was incredibly nervous, because this would be his actual first mission. Once more he remembered his training in Prague. He had to turn off his emotions, which was especially hard at that particular moment, when he found himself in a secret base with the spy he idolized, not to mention the rest of the team, who also had an incredible history of mission achievements. And on top of all that, the prospect of a first mission wasn't soothing at all. Just as he was calming down, the screen came on, and seeing Beckmann made his nervousness double.

"Good morning team. Today I have an important assignment… but it is only for you, Mr. Stark."

"You mean to say I'll be acting alone?"

"That is exactly what I mean to say Stark; aren't you a spy?"

"It was a rhetorical question, General." retorted James without thinking.

Excuse me, agent Stark?" said Beckmann in a menacing tone.

"I'm sorry General, I'm just a bit nervous, quite a bit actually."

"Well pull it together Stark. I can't afford any mistakes tonight. This is going to be your red test and it is a rather special one. I'll be sending you a picture shortly. You will flash on him to acquire all the necessary information on the target. You will then proceed to take him out."

The screen went black, so James took the opportunity to talk to Chuck for a while. As they talked, the photo appeared on the screen. It was a balding man in his fifties, with bushy eyebrows, dark eyes and a skin so white it made him seem ill.

Stark had his back to the screen, but when he saw Chuck squint as though he'd seen a really bright light and twist his mouth as though he'd tasted something really sour, he knew the photo had come in. Chuck looked at James with concern and said, pointing at the screen and trying to sound casual. "Come on, have a flash"

And so Stark looked at the screen. Sure enough, the image of the balding man triggered the flash. A flood of information invaded his mind. He could see documents, dates, associates. And at the top of the first page it read: The Arab.

He looked at Chuck, now understanding his concerned look. The Arab was extremely dangerous. No one knew his real name or where his safe house was. He never stayed in one place for too long. James didn't quite understand why the General had chosen this target for his red test. This was a mission for a full spy team.

"Don't worry" said Chuck "we'll be with you every step of the way. You'll be wearing an inconspicuous ear piece linked directly to Castle in case you need help. But try not to get caught, because we won't actually be there physically, at least not in time to save you, depending on the situation."

Stark looked like he was going to throw up. "But that is a totally worst case scenario, I'm sure you'll be fine." added Chuck after seeing the look on James' face.

After calming down, Stark knew everything he needed for the mission. The Arab was known to have constant dealings with Middle Eastern terrorist groups, hence the name. But lately he had been doing business with mercenaries in the US, for which the reason was unknown. James was supposed to impersonate the leader of a mercenary group offering his services to The Arab. From his flash, he saw that he had checked in to The Madison, a luxurious hotel used for many gala events. In this case, an annual fundraiser. He had to lure The Arab away from the party and take him put as fast as possible.

James felt ready. "Even without the Intersect I'm a pretty decent spy. I should be fine." He picked up his tuxedo so he could start getting ready. It was still late afternoon and the mission was to take place at 22:00h. Still, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. He even tried rehearsing a few lines with Chuck for when he would have to talk to The Arab. After a few minutes, James gave up on the idea. Somehow, having pre meditated lines made him more nervous in case he had to improvise. Seeing as he had always been good at it, he decided he would improvise the whole conversation.

So at 21:45 James Stark was ready and fully equipped. He looked at The Governor on his wrist, still ticking dutifully. He put on his earpiece and linked it to Castle.

"All good, can you hear me?" asked Morgan for the sound check.

"Yeah, I can hear you perfectly." replied James.

He turned around and looked at Chuck, Sarah and Casey. They just couldn't hide the concern from their faces. But Stark was confident nonetheless. He had a good feeling about this mission. He got in his car, a brand 'new' black 1967 Mustang GT, and drove off to The Madison for his first actual mission. On the way he wondered why Beckmann wanted The Arab dead. "Wouldn't it be better to capture him alive and question him?"

As he arrived, the building genuinely impressed him. Sure he'd gone by it several time before, but never when it had been prepared for a gala. It was a mighty building with classical architecture and a beige color that brought out the red of the decorative drapes that ran down from the pillars on each side of the doors. Many people were already inside, but there were still quite a few guests talking outside, maybe having encountered an acquaintance or whatnot.

All the men were wearing tuxedos and the women wore long and intricate dresses, most likely custom made for the event. James parked his car next to a Camaro and made his way to the entrance. The receptionist, a lady of no more than thirty, accepted Stark's invitation and threw him a look he knew all too well. Despite his awkward pre-teen years, James Stark had become quite handsome as an adult. But he had a mission, so he politely ignored her – if there is such a thing – and moved on alongside the other gusts that were going inside.

The hotel was no less impressive on the inside. It was almost entirely made of marble. Stairs on both sides led down to the ballroom itself, where the light of an enormous chandelier reflected beautifully on the marble, giving the room an elegant golden glow. Waiters walked around in white, serving wine, champagne and appetizers. There was a huge bar at the far end of the room. Behind its massive wooden counter it had an endless number of glass shelves from top to bottom, where infinite bottles of various drinks sat, waiting to be ordered. Stark began looking around for his target. And then he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was tall, thin, with a perfect nose, attractive bluish-green eyes and long black hair that descended in a wavelike manner upon her back. Yet such a description still fell short of her true beauty. Stark felt like he was back in grade school. He just couldn't stop looking at her; a spy, trained in the art of seduction, was simply mindlessly staring at a woman he didn't even know. She was going to the restroom area. "Well, I guess I need to go to the bathroom!" Thought Stark. The funny thing was that he actually did have to go.

Just as he was coming out, he was pushed against the wall and thrown into the janitor's closet, which was just at the beginning of the corridor that ran next to the bathrooms. James flashed at once; yet again knowledge flooded his brain, and a tingly sensation spread briefly to his muscles. He knew exactly what moves he had to use and when to use them. Stark turned around, ready for a fight; but it was her, the woman he had just childishly followed. She had a gun pointed directly at his chest.

"Wow, I have to say this is the first time a woman approaches me like this. I guess I like it." said Stark with a charmingly sarcastic smile.

"Okay, what's the deal? You've been looking at me since you got here. What do you know, who do you work for?"

"I'm sorry for staring, it was indeed a bit childish of me. I guess I just couldn't resist."

"That's enough!" shouted the woman "who do you work for, why are you after me?" She had a scared look on her face, so Stark answered at once when he saw her unlock the gun.

"I'm with the IOF, okay? Just relax. I'm not here to harm you. As a matter of fact, you're not part of my mission at all. I really just thought you were beautiful." said James honestly.

"Alright, enough with the flattering. I'm NSA. What are you doing here and what the hell is the IOF?" she asked, putting the gun down.

"I'm here for my red test. As for what the IOF is… well, all I'm allowed to say is that it is a covert operations force within the NSA. Why are you here, and can I have a name?"

"I'm Katrina Nilsson. I'm here for my red test too. All I was given was a photo of the target, code name The Arab." Said Katrina.

"Then we have a problem agent Nilsson, or a solution. I'm here for The Arab as well, but I have a little more Intel than you. So, if you want, we can work together. And if you don't think that's a good idea, I'm sure you'll change your mind after you hear the Intel." replied Stark.

"The Arab is a highly dangerous individual who has been involved with various middle-eastern terrorist groups and is now dealing with north American mercenaries, the reason for which is still unknown." Explained James. "I still don't know why he was assigned as my red test, or furthermore, why he was assigned to you as well, which is why I think working together would be the smartest decision for us. So, what do you say, agent Nilsson? Are you with me?" asked James, putting his hand forward.

"I guess so. What did you have in mind?" She asked while shaking Stark's hand.

"I had intended to act as the leader of a mercenary group offering my services to The Arab. But now that you're here, I have a better idea, although it's going to require a bit of seduction on your part."

"Fine, let's hear it." Said Katrina.

"Okay, I was thinking we use your more than average looks to lure him over to the bar, where I'll be disguised as a bartender. I will then spike his drink with a little something extra, you see." Said Stark. "I know poison is usually a woman's choice for killing, but I really don't think I have a chance of flirting with him." He added sarcastically.

"You do know that saying is meant for women who aren't trained assassins like myself, right? Just because this is my red test doesn't' mean I haven't been trained. I know how to kill a guy without poison. But your seduction plan is OK, so I'll let go of pride this time and I won't kick your ass. Get to the bar. I'll find The Arab and get him there."

Katrina Nilsson was fierce and determined. Even though she had not yet killed, James had no doubts as to her abilities. So he discretely made his way to the bar. He got in through the back and trancked one of the bartenders. He picked up a spare uniform from a small closet in the back of the bar and put it on. After he was all set, Stark looked around for Katrina. It was pretty hard to miss her and, sure enough, there she was, crossing the ballroom headed for the bar. Except she wasn't alone; a balding, fifty something year old man with pale skin was with her. From the picture he had flashed on, James couldn't have predicted The Arab would be quite so big. Despite his age and frail looking face, he was surprisingly fit. Broad shoulders, big arms, 6'1 tall and with great posture, The Arab was certainly someone not to be meddled with.

Katrina came toward Stark with a look of acknowledgment on her face. She was still talking to The Arab.

"I'm thirsty. I think I'm going to get a drink." Said Katrina, sounding convincingly innocent.

"No please, let me." Said The Arab. "What is it that you desire?" He asked with a deep and rather melodic voice.

"Oh I don't know, surprise me." Replied Katrina with a giggle.

"Very well. Bartender, we'll have two martinis please. Extra olives." Said The Arab to Stark.

As James prepared the drinks behind the counter, he slipped cyanide into one of them. He then cautiously served the drinks, making sure The Arab took the one with the poison. As soon as they drank, Stark knew something had gone wrong. For a brief moment, he noticed a scared and angry look on The Arab's face. He looked at Stark and then turned to Katrina. "I'm terribly sorry dear, but it seems I'm not feeling too well. I'll retire to my room now. Thank you for your delightful company." He said, before kissing Katrina gently on the upper part of her hand.

"He knows he's been poisoned." Stark told Katrina as soon as The Arab left. "If he identified it was cyanide by the taste, he might have the antidote in his room. If he gets his hands on Hydroxycobalamin he'll be just fine and this will all have been in vain. Come on, get up there, I'll be right behind you."

Agent Nilsson turned around and ran to the reception. Knowing The Arab's alias from Stark's intel, she tracked down the room he had checked into and went up quickly.

She knocked. "Hello, is there anyone there?"

"Who is it?" asked The Arab.

"It's me, Maggie." Replied Nilsson, using the same fake name she'd given him earlier that night. "You left so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to say goodbye." She added.

Katrina heard the door being unlocked. It was The Arab all right, but he wasn't looking so friendly. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" He asked with a gun pointed directly at her. "Come on in, 'Maggie'." Wondering where the hell Stark was, she went in.

The Arab tied her to a chair with incredibly tight fishing knots. "Shall we begin?" he asked sadistically. "You're going to tell me everything; who you work for, why you're here, who your partner is, and I'm sure I'll think of more questions." He picked up a toothpick from a table on the far side of the room. "How about we start with a classic? Despite being a bit overused, it always yields positive results." Said The Arab, grabbing Katrina's hand. He then slowly inserted the toothpick underneath her fingernail. She shrieked in agony. "That was just the appetizer. So, who do you wor…" but before he could finish, Katrina saw his eyes go wide and blood start drenching his shirt. It was Stark. He had descended onto the room's balcony from the floor above and shot The Arab. How he had done that was beyond her, but she was thankful nonetheless.

"I was going to wait for the right moment, but when I heard you scream like that I decided to just shoot him in the back." Said James.

"You mean you've been there this whole time! Why didn't you do something before he stuck a damned toothpick under my nail?" She asked, looking at him in anger.

"Sorry, I thought he would give out some information or something. You know, the classic bad guy speech, where he reveals his intentions and all. Guess that didn't happen."

"You don't say?" replied Nilsson sarcastically.

"Okay, it was wrong of me to do that. It won't happen again, I promise." Said James apologetically.

"Again? What do you mean, 'again'?" she asked incredulously.

"After the events of tonight I have to take you in for debriefing. It's obvious there's something wrong with this whole situation."

"Sorry, special agent James Stark, if that really is your name, but there is no way I'm going with you."

"The once again I am obliged to ask for you forgiveness." James said while pulling out a tranq gun.

Two tranquilizer darts later and Katrina Nilsson was in the passenger's seat of Stark's Mustang, headed for Castle.

When Stark arrived carrying an unconscious woman, it's needless to say everyone was more than confused. He put Agent Nilsson in one of Castle's transparent holding cells and went on to explain the whole situation to the team.

"So you were both assigned the same target. It's almost as if someone wanted you to run into each other." Said Chuck.

"That is exactly what I wanted." Said General Beckmann as she popped up on the screen. "Agent Nilsson has just completed her training. She is a couple of years younger than you, Stark. And much like you, she has shown herself to be suitable for the Intersect. You were taken to Prague right after you had completed your training because the IOF was still in the works. Lots of paperwork and bureaucracy to sit through, so we had no other choice but to train you in Prague. However, the IOF is now fully operational and the Intersect training program in Prague has been discontinued due to its elevated costs. But I should think that a spy team such as this one, with two Intersects, will be more than capable of training agent Nilsson once she is uploaded with the Intersect. This mission served for me to see if you two could function together." Explained the General.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to have told us beforehand, General? And is it really prudent to have yet another Intersect running around? I've had two years of Intersect training, but I still don't have any field experience." Said Stark

"Did you think you were special Stark? Well indeed you are, but you're not the only one. The purpose of the IOF is to have all suitable agents uploaded with the Intersect. She is suitable, so get over it. You will help her learn how to make the Intersect work." Replied Beckmann.

"Then why would you discontinue the training program in Prague, General? If there are going to be so many agents, this team will end up being an Intersect training program itself, won't it? Asked James

"Precisely Stark. The Intersect was developed so agents could be fully independent. Once an agent's training with your team is complete, they'll be on their way. And don't worry, it's not like we'll be sending a new agent every week. It is not that easy to find people who can handle the Intersect."

"Then why am I still here General? I've already completed my training."

"Well, you will be an Instructor, a handler; call it what you will. You will be assigned important missions. Let's just call the fact that you will be 'teaching someone the ropes' as an added challenge." Said the General

"But couldn't Chuck do that?" asked James. Even though he idolized Chuck, he didn't want to be an instructor for the rest of his career. At least not until he had a better record, like Chuck's. He took down Fulcrum, The Ring and tons of other bad guys.

"That is a matter you will discuss with agent Bartowski directly. That'll be all". Finished the General.

After the screen faded, Chuck turned to Stark. "Look, James, I'm sorry. I know you want to build a career. Just keep in mind that being a handler won't stop you from doing that. It's just that ever since Sarah got her memory back, we've been thinking about retiring from the field. We want to build a family, have a real life. And we aren't getting any younger." Said Chuck.

James felt so incredibly selfish after hearing those words that he wanted to hide somewhere. "Chuck, I… I didn't know. I'm sorry for being so self-centered. I'd do anything for this team."

"Hey, it's alright, don't sweat it." Said Chuck with a smile, lifting Stark's mood.

"Can I ask you something Chuck?"

"Yeah, sure. Ask away!" said Chuck.

"Why didn't I flash on Nilsson as soon as I saw her?

"I don't know. Emotions do get in the way of flashing. How did you react when you saw her, lover boy?" said Chuck with a smirk

"What, me? I… well…" Stark looked down, wordless.

"I'm just kidding James. All agents suitable for the Intersect upload are removed from its database. Things are safer that way." Explained Chuck.

"Right, yeah, I get it. It's probably for the best." Said Stark, a bit disappointed.

"You know, if you want to find out more about me, you could just ask." Said Katrina as she came into the room. "Beckmann just told me everything." She added after seeing the look on Stark' face, like someone who didn't know what she was talking about.

"Then now do you believe I thought you were beautiful?" asked Stark, managing to recompose himself a bit.

She laughed and their eyes met for just a second, but it was one of those lingering seconds that seem to last a lifetime. "Yeah, I guess I do believe you now." Replied Katrina while brushing her hair over her ears and looking down. "I'm sorry I said I was going to kick your ass. That was unprofessional of me." She said, looking at Stark without breaking eye contact this time.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I was totally staring at you. I probably deserved an ass kicking so I wouldn't act so stupid." He replied as he continued gazing into those gorgeous bluish-green eyes.

"So what's your real name?"

"What? What do you mean real name? It's James Stark. That is my real name." He replied nervously

"Is it? Because I saw you tense up when I doubted it, just before you trancked me."

She wasn't angry. It seemed like she really did want to know his name. But he couldn't say. They had given him the alias in Prague, right after he'd been uploaded with the Intersect, under strict orders not to reveal his real name. But Katrina Just kept looking at him.

"To hell with it. It's Eugene. Eugene Erskine is my real name." It sounded so strange after so long. He hadn't been called that in two ears.

"Eugene Erskine, huh? Now that sounds more like you. I like it."

Eugene was lost for words. He didn't know why, but he knew what came next: crickets.

"So, The Intersect. Pretty cool stuff, eh? Said Morgan, ending the palpable awkward silence that had ensued between Erskine and Nilsson.

Eugene had totally forgotten they were all there. He had been so caught up in talking to Katrina that had had disconnected himself from the rest of the world. But he sure was thankful to Morgan for having saved him from the soundless abyss his conversation had become. His heart was racing, he was sweating and his ears were hot. What was it about this woman that made him act and feel like the nerdy kid he'd been in school? He barely even knew her yet.

And so it was that Katrina Nilsson joined the IOF.

Still, much was about to happen…


	5. Chapter 4 The Blackout

Chapter 4: The Blackout

It was time. Agent Nilsson was finally going to be uploaded with the Intersect. Eugene and Katrina rode in the back while Chuck went in the passenger's seat of Casey's Crown Victoria. Needless to say, John Casey was at the wheel. He seldom let anyone touch his beloved car; that was something Eugene identified with, seeing as he had bought a 1967 Mustang GT, which he loved.

"So, are you ready?" asked Eugene to Katrina.

"I guess so." She replied trying to sound calm, although fear and concern were spread across her face.

Erskine had told her everything he knew about the Intersect. How it worked, what it did and all that she would be able to do once she was uploaded with it. Maybe it was a little too much for her to handle. Eugene remembered exactly how he had felt when the NSA selected him for the intersect program. Fresh out of his regular training, he felt terrified. No field experience, no nothing. He too had felt like he couldn't handle it. But he knew Nilsson would feel better after the upload. The Intersect does that to you. It just gives you this feeling like nothing can beat you. At first you forget you're even mortal. But after it all sinks in, you remind yourself of all the responsibility and the nervousness comes back just as easy as it had left. That's why controlling one's feelings was a major part of the training. Once your emotions are in check, flashing becomes easy and the Intersect works like a charm. There was a long road ahead of her, but Eugene knew she would make a great Intersect agent.

They arrived at the secret Intersect location. It seemed just like a regular office building, but that was far from the truth. Chuck led the way and the rest of the team followed. Sarah had stayed at Castle with Morgan.

They got into the elevator and pressed three floor buttons: 30, 21, and 12. That was the code that had been given to them by Beckmann. And so the elevator started going up. When it stopped, the display was showing two letters: IR. The Intersect Room was on a secret floor in the middle of the building. It had been removed from the blueprints and could only be accessed by codes, such as the one that had just been used by them.

Chuck, Eugene, Katrina and Casey went in.

"Wow, this brings back some memories." Said Chuck seeing the familiar white room with the little computer screen in the middle. Chuck went up to the screen and started typing the necessary codes.

"Okay, we're all set. Are you ready agent Nilsson?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Replied Katrina

"Come on guys, we have to wait outside." Said Chuck, making his way toward the door. Eugene and Casey followed him out.

As soon as the door closed behind them, everything went pitch black.

"What's going on!" Asked Eugene.

"Don't worry, it's probably just the Intersect. It takes up a lot of energy. I'm sure the power will come back as soon as the upload is complete."

But things just didn't feel right. Eugene moved around in the dark trying to find the door to the Intersect room. Once he found it, he moved his hand over its surface and noticed it was ajar. The sliding door had opened itself. It was just a couple of inches, but it was enough for Eugene to force it open. "Katrina!" he called into the darkness of the room. Remembering he had his flashlight with him, Eugene turned it on and directed the light towards the middle of the room. And there she was.

"What's going on?" asked Nilsson.

"What do you mean? You didn't get the upload?" questioned Eugene.

"No, everything went dark as soon as the door closed. How did you get in?"

"The door was open. I guess it's a safety mechanism in case of power outages, so nobody gets trapped inside." Said Eugene.

"We have to get out of here right now." Said Casey. "This was no accident. This floor has its own generator, which comes on once the main power goes out. So this means someone purposefully did this. They took out the main power and the backup generator. This was premeditated. Come on, let's go!"

This time Erskine led the way. He ran through the corridors trying to find a way out, his flashlight reflecting gloomily off the walls.

"This floor has no stairs!" Yelled Eugene.

"We'll have to use the elevator shaft to get down to the lower floor so we can use the stairs." Said Chuck.

One after the other, they jumped into the elevator shaft, grabbing the cables. And down they went. It was a short way down, so they got there in no time. The elevator doors on each floor had the same mechanism as the doors in the Intersect room, so they had no trouble going through them. Eugene continued to lead the way with his flashlight. They reached the stairs and went down. Once they reached the lobby, they ran outside on to the streets. It was only then that they noticed the problem was even bigger than they had imagined. Except for Casey. He seemed to have been expecting it. Everything was dark too. All that could be seen was the headlights from passing cars. People were running around in panic. Some had flashlights or LED key chains which they were using to their advantage and some people tried using cellphones to light the way, but the overall situation was chaos.

Casey found his Crown Vic and they made their way back to Castle.

"You don't think the Intersect room's backup generator was integrated to the city's power system, do you?" asked Eugene, thinking of the only possible explanation for what happened.

"Yep, that's about it. The only way whoever did this could have taken out our generator is to have shut down the whole city's power. Even though there are several power grids, the Intersect room was connected to all of them just in case, because a few always go down occasionally. This is big. They took down all the power grids in the city just to stop the upload. Whoever did this is much aware of the Intersect's existence. It's safe to assume the future of the IOF is at stake here." Said Casey.

The team arrived at castle. Chuck ran to Sarah, embracing her.

"Chuck, what's happening? Everything went out. There's no power, nothing." Said Sarah.

"We don't know yet. What we do know is that this was a planned attack. Whoever did it wanted to prevent agent Nilsson from being uploaded with the Intersect. Unfortunately they succeeded. Now the bigger issue is finding out who's behind it all. Judging by their knowledge of our operation schedule, I'd say we might be looking at yet another rogue organization within the government." Said Chuck with a worried face. "But we can't be sure. Maybe they took down our firewall and stole our intel, so it might not be people within the government, which would be even worse." Added Chuck.

"What about the Intersect? Asked Katrina.

"It's going to take some time to reboot all of its systems, so for the time being you'll just be a normal spy." Said Chuck. "We're not going to kick you out of the IOF or anything like that." He added reassuringly.

As soon as the power came back on, general Beckmann appeared on Castle's screen. "I'm sure you have all reached the conclusion that this was a premeditated attack, so I'll spare you of a debriefing session. Until they act again, we have to stay alert. You will be given normal missions for the time being, but as soon as the NSA acquires more intel on the matter, the IOF will investigate the case with top priority. That'll be all." Concluded the General.

"How can you guys just stand there and say nothing while knowing someone took out the whole city's power system? Aren't we going to do anything?" Asked Katrina in disbelief.

"We're just the tip of the spear, Nilsson. Leave it to the pencil pushers to gather the necessary intel. We have none of it. If we did, then I'd be inclined to agree with you and I'd be more than happy to go after the bastards who did this right now. But given the situation we're in, let's just wait for Beckmann's intel. She's probably got floors of analysts working on it. Besides, regular missions will be great for you to gather field experience." Said Casey.

"I guess you're right." Said Katrina, calming down a bit.

"So, how about dinner at my place?" Said Morgan to lighten up the mood in the room. "Alex and I would love you have you all over for dinner." He added with a bearded smile.

That did the trick. They all left castle and headed for Morgan's place, which was still right next door to Chuck's. He and Sarah had postponed buying their dream home until Sarah was fully recovered. Even though they were now looking into it again, seeing as she was all better, they were still living in their same old apartment in Echo Park.

Later in the evening, the food was ready. They dined and talked, cracking jokes and having a great time. Despite never having done that since he had joined the NSA – and barely during his whole life – Eugene felt strangely at home. There was such a welcoming atmosphere about Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Morgan and Alex all together that it gave him a strong sense of belonging. He wondered how Katrina was feeling. Eugene looked at her and saw she was smiling, almost laughing. The woman behind the uptight, determined and fierce agent Nilsson was coming up. Seeing her act normal made Eugene like her even more. Some agents forget who they are, or try as hard as they can to make it look like they did. Knowing she was still able to be herself was comforting, because he was still a Star Wars loving, video game playing nerd. He wasn't ashamed; after all it was part of who he was. Being a spy just added to that. Eugene was just glad to see the real Katrina.

As dinner came to an end, they all went back to their places, waiting for the start of a new day… and a new mission.


	6. Chapter 5 Back in the Day

Chapter 5: Back in the Day

**Harvard University – 2010**

It was his sophomore year. Eugene couldn't remember being so happy. After his first year, the fact that he had gotten into Harvard was still sinking in and he couldn't believe his grades had been so good. During his senior year in high school, Eugene had had a huge growth spurt and, throughout his vacation, he had bulked up quite a lot. This drove him to try out for the football team in college. He had always enjoyed watching football, but his short height and overall skinniness had prevented him from actually playing. He eventually got a spot as a quarterback. During practice he noticed he was actually pretty good. "_I guess now I'm a jockish nerd_." He thought.

A few great games and more good grades later, he noticed an odd e-mail in his inbox. It was from an unknown address and the subject box was blank. Once he opened it there were only two things written: a classroom and a time. Eugene decided to check it out. He went to the specified classroom at the given time and knocked.

"Come in." said a familiar voice.

After going in, Eugene saw Mr. Caldwell, one of his professors, behind the desk.

"Hello Sir, is there something wrong?" asked Erskine apologetically, just in case.

"No no, of course not. Come on, sit down my boy." Said Mr. Caldwell, sounding as nice as a person can sound

"So, what's going on Professor?" asked Eugene, still curious as to the strange manner he had been invited there.

"Well, Mr. Erskine, your academic achievements and physical aptitude have attracted the attention of the agency. We want to make you a proposition." Said the professor.

"Agency? Proposition?" asked Eugene.

"The NSA, Mr. Erskine. They want you to serve your country. You have both intelligence and physical fitness, which is a hard combination to find. The proposition is that you will be trained throughout your time in college up until you graduate. Then you will be sent to the NSA headquarters to complete said training." said Professor Caldwell.

Eugene was taken aback. He had never really given much thought to a career in the government. But he didn't really have his whole future already mapped out, so he decided to accept. It's funny how, sometimes, an on-the-spot decision can actually work out for the best.

Sure enough, right after he had graduated, Eugene received a message from the NSA. And off he went to complete his training. There were only a couple of months left of it. After that was done, he received another message from the NSA and was surprised yet again. The now agent Erskine had been selected for the Intersect program. The agency was sending him to Prague for a two year training program.

**Burbank, California – Present day (2014)**

"So you were basically trained for five years all together?" asked Katrina.

"Well, yes and no. I completed most of my regular training while still in college, mostly during my junior and senior years. Sophomore year was more of a grooming period. Mostly protocol learning and all that. You know the drill. I graduated in 2012, but there was still a couple of months left of my training. But as soon as that was done, they called me for the Intersect program and sent me to Prague that very same week. Two years of Intersect training later and here I am." replied Eugene. "What about you?" he asked with a smile.

"Pretty much the same thing. I was recruited at Yale, during my sophomore year as well. After college I still had a little bit of training left to do, just like you. Once that was done I got a call from Beckmann for my red test. During said red test I saw a good looking guy staring at me and well… you know the rest." Said Katrina.

"So I'm good looking, am I?" asked Eugene with a charming grin.

Eugene was what you could consider to be classically handsome in a way, but apparently Katrina let the compliment slip, because she looked embarrassed.

"Well yeah. I wouldn't call you _classically_ handsome, but there's definitely a symmetry about you that a lot of women might find appealing." Replied Katrina trying to sound casual.

"Women like you, agent Nilsson?" asked Eugene suggestively.

"Women like me… expect men like you… to find that out for yourself."

Replied Katrina, playing into the part Erskine had thrown at her.

As she walked away, Eugene couldn't stop himself from taking a glimpse at her slender body. She was just perfect: 5'9 tall, long legs, healthily skinny, bright bluish green eyes and a gorgeous smile. Up until that moment, Eugene had thought she was just a pretty face, but the moment she picked up on his 'Johnny English' reference he thought of her with an even greater fondness. What are the odds that the spy you're starting to like actually knows one of your top ten guilty pleasure movies? That was no coincidence. "_I need to find out what else she likes entertainment wise_." Thought Eugene, making a mental note to himself.

**Harvard University – 2011 (Junior Year)**

"The Donald Hebbs Law says that when you repeat synaptic firing, you strengthen the synaptic link, which then becomes identifiable. It will stand out from the crowd both in amplitude and in time.

Many of the neurons in a local system act to inhibit, some to excite, but there is a central neuron which, when fired, will create a cascade of subordinate neurons and activate the local system which might be a memory/action.

Two different focused frequencies will, at the focal point, reinforce one another and create an abnormal local energy surge, thereby opening calcium channels, firing a master neuron, causing a thought." Said Professor Caldwell, finishing his lecture.

Biology had always fascinated Eugene for some reason. His parents were doctors, and they had shown him a lot of topics on the matter as he was growing up. That was his cover with them. They thought Eugene was studying to become a doctor. They would probably freak out if they knew that Eugene was not only a spy, but that he also had a supercomputer in his brain.

**Burbank, California – Present day (2014)**

Thinking back on Professor Caldwell's lecture made Eugene think how much the Intersect made sense and what a truly remarkable work of bioengineering it was.

He looked around and noticed he was completely alone in Castle. Eugene had zoned out while recollecting on the past. It was kind of late, so he decided to call it a day. He went back to his apartment in Echo Park, right next to Chuck and Sarah's. Eugene had moved into Ellie and Devon's apartment, seeing as they had moved to Chicago, but he gave the place a nerdy touch, much like when Chuck still lived with Morgan.

The first thing Eugene always did once he got in the apartment was turn on his stereo. His Rush CD was already in it and Tom Sawyer started playing. Every time he heard that song it reminded him of the case report he had read about Chuck disarming nuclear missiles through the missile command game with the help of Rush's Tom Sawyer. _Simply_ _priceless_.

Eugene took a shower and put on some boxer shorts – he had a habit of sleeping shirtless. He turned off his stereo, got into bed and turned on the TV. Sunset Blvd was showing. He turned on his TV's timer and watched until he dozed off. He dreamed of better days, when life wasn't quite so troublesome and his responsibilities weren't quite so great.

And with the start of each day, came new responsibilities…


	7. Chapter 6 Kneecap VS Crowbar

Chapter 6: Kneecap VS. Crowbar

It was seven o'clock when Eugene woke up. He turned on the coffee pot and got in the shower. Just as he was coming out, he heard a knock at the front door. He wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way towards the door. Right after he opened it, Eugene wished he had put on some clothes first. It was Katrina, looking as great as ever. She glanced quickly at Eugene's pecks and abs, trying to make it seem as though she actually didn't look, or didn't notice, or didn't care.

"So…" she said, clearing her throat. "I… I was going to let you know that we have a mission, but I guess this is a bad time. And… I mean, I shouldn't even be here. You were going to get debriefed anyways. I'm just gonna go." She added embarrassingly, taking a glimpse at Eugene's body every other second.

"No, that's nonsense. I'm going to have breakfast in a moment. Come right in. Let me just go put some clothes on." Replied Eugene as he headed back to his room. He grabbed some jeans and a white T-Shirt and put them on quickly. He slipped his feet into an old pair of flip-flops and went back to the kitchen, his hair still wet and messy.

Eugene cooked some eggs and bacon and readied a couple of toasts.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, agent Nilsson?" asked Eugene playfully as he poured her some coffee.

"Well, we really do have a mission and it's actually a really hard one. And I used that as an excuse to come and see you." She answered looking into his eyes. But Eugene noticed something different in her gaze. It seemed to be a mixture of guilt and sadness. Eugene started feeling hazy, his vision started to become blurry and he felt as though everything was spinning, kind of like when you're drunk and you lie down. Except he wasn't drunk. Eugene looked up at Katrina in disbelief, finally understanding the look on her face. She had drugged him.

When Eugene woke up, he was tied to a chair, his hands almost numb from the knots that were binding him down. He looked to his side and saw Nilsson also tied up. That puzzled him even more. If she'd drugged him, why was she also tied up?

"Katrina, wake up. What's going on?" said Eugene.

Slowly, Katrina came to. Her face was bloody and badly bruised and she looked like she was going to black out again at any moment.

"I'm sorry. They have my family. I had to do what they wanted. I…" but she passed out before she could say anything else.

Eugene looked around. They were in a dark abandoned warehouse. The lighting was dim, so he couldn't really see its dimensions properly.

"Ah, you're awake. Finally. I guess now it's your turn… Agent Stark, isn't it? It seems like your girlfriend here didn't have much to say, or maybe she really didn't know anything, but I doubt that." Said the strange man.

At least Katrina hadn't given out Eugene's real name. That was good.

"So, I'm only going to ask you once… no, wait, I'm kidding. I'll keep asking you for as long as it takes; where is the Intersect's location? Asked the man.

"What? Don't you already know that? You're the son of a bitch who took out the city's power, aren't you? I assumed you knew everything." Replied Eugene with disdain.

The man laughed aloud; but it was a cold, heartless and taunting laugh. He picked up a crowbar and hit Eugene on the knee with all his force. It took all of Eugene's willpower not to scream as the blow made his sight quiver a little. He promptly recovered and got ready for more.

"If I already knew what I was asking, there wouldn't really be a reason for me to be wasting my time here with you, would there? We knew dates and times, genius, but not a location. That's why we took down the whole city's power." Said the man angrily.

"Actually, you would have needed to shut down the whole city's power anyways." Said Eugene. "Mr. genius." he added sarcastically.

This time the blow was to his rib cage. The pain was even more excruciating as he heard one of his ribs crack. He moaned, hiding his agony as best he could. Eugene's breathing was shallow, for every time he inhaled he felt pain flood his chest.

"Oh yeah, and why is that, Agent Stark?"

"Because the Intersect's backup generator is hooked up to all of the power grids in the city." Replied Eugene with a smile. He knew he could divulge that information. After all, this man had already found a way to neutralize the backup generator without such knowledge, so knowing that wouldn't make a difference.

"I'll ask you again. I told you I'd ask more than once, didn't I? Where is the Intersect Room's location? Tell me and you go free. It's as simple as that." Said the man.

"I'm not stupid. I know you're going to kill me as soon as I talk. But the girl doesn't have anything to do with this. She doesn't know a thing. So let her go and I talk." Said Eugene looking over to Katrina.

She was once again awake, but still barely conscious. She looked at Erskine in awe, or as much in awe as an almost unconscious person can look.

The man lifted his crowbar once again and hit Eugene straight across the face. He passed out instantly. When next he woke up he was all wet.

"You're making me waste a lot of water here. It's not that cheap anymore, you know? You, Stark, are not in a position to bargain. Tell me what I want to know or I'll kill her right before your eyes." Said the man menacingly.

Before he had been knocked out cold, Eugene had been trying to loosen the knots on his wrists. His skin was raw and bloody where the rope was in contact with his flesh, but it seemed to have worked. He calculated that, with a lot of pain, he would be able to free his hands. He got ready and pulled his wrists back with all his might. The remaining bit of skin peeled off and more blood came out of his wound, but his hands were free. The strange man came towards Erskine with the crowbar, but now it was Eugene's turn to do some damage. He concentrated on the Intersect and flashed. The familiar tingling sensation spread through his muscles and once again he knew exactly what moves to use. The man swung the crowbar at his head, but Eugene simply caught the man's wrists before the crowbar even got close and, using the man's own hands, he hit him in the face with it. The stranger let go of the crowbar and fell to the floor stunned and nearly cataleptic. Eugene quickly untied his feet and went over to Katrina. She was out cold yet again. He untied her and picked her up. He saw the man was starting to regain his senses, so he put Katrina down and picked up the crowbar again. He went over to the stranger and hit him in the head once more, but this time strong enough so the man wouldn't be up for some time.

Eugene went back to Katrina and took her outside. He looked around and recognized where they were. He used a public phone to call an ambulance. He put Katrina in the ambulance and actually had to ask the driver if he could borrow some money. After that he called a cab and got inside with the strange man's inert body. "He partied a bit too hard." Said Eugene to the cab driver, who had thrown him a concerned look. Of course the cabbie didn't buy it. After all, it's not every day you see a guy covered in blood, wearing jeans and a flip-flop get into a cab with an unconscious person. But the driver took him where he asked nonetheless.

The taxi stopped in front of the Buy More, which still belonged to Chuck, and Eugene took the strange man down to Castle.

He threw him in a holding cell and went on to take care of his own injuries before the man woke up. Eugene washed away the blood from his face and wrapped some bandages around his wrists, which were in pretty bad shape. The pain in his chest due to the cracked rib was also taking its toll, making it hard for him to breathe properly. He called Casey to help with the interrogation.

Casey was still on his way when the man woke up.

"Ah, you're awake. Finally." Said Eugene, anger building up inside. "Before the interrogation begins, I want to give you a couple of things." He added.

Eugene walked over to one of the shelves and picked up a first-aid kit. He then opened the cell's door and threw it in.

"Why the hell are you giving me this?" asked the man.

"You'll find out in just a second." Replied Eugene, picking up his gun. He aimed it at the man's knee and pulled the trigger. "There, I gave you a couple of things: A shot to the knee and a first-aid kit. Have fun, because when Agent Casey arrives… well, let's just say it won't be that much fun. At least not for you." Said Eugene.

As soon as Casey arrived, Erskine told him the short version of what had happened and left for the hospital to check on Nilsson.

He felt worse for her than he did for himself. She just looked so bad when he put her in that ambulance that it made him feel sick.

Eugene arrived at the hospital and asked the nurse where the room of one Katrina Nilsson was. The nurse wanted to get Eugene a room, because even though he had washed the wounds on his face, his white shirt was still bloody and his bruises and cuts were really starting to show, so the nurse thought he was hurt. And indeed he was, but he needed to see Katrina.

"No, I'm fine, just show me her room." Said Eugene.

When the nurse insisted on getting him a room, Erskine pulled out his NSA badge, which he had picked up after he'd left Castle, and showed it to the nurse.

"Take me to her now, or I'll have you arrested." Said Eugene. He was completely out of line, but he wasn't thinking straight. He just needed to know if Nilsson was going to be okay.

"Fine, have it your way then." Replied the nurse with a grumpy face.

"Follow me, right this way." She added without looking back as she walked down the hall.

Eugene followed her readily. The nurse showed him the room and he went in at once. There was a doctor tending to Katrina and Eugene didn't hesitate to start asking questions.

"How is she? Is she going to be okay? How long will she be here for?"

"Whoa, hang on there pal. She's going to be just fine. It'll take some time, but she'll make a full recovery. She had a concussion and needed a few stitches above her right eyebrow, but other than that she's okay. You will barely even notice a scar once the cut heals." Said the doctor.

And just like that Erskine's worries melted away. He didn't know why he had been feeling so uneasy to begin with. After all, he barely knew Nilsson for a month. But there was just something about her… and the more Eugene tried to fight the fact that he had feelings for Katrina, the more he realized that they were there, swirling inside him and driving him mad. He sat in the armchair beside her bed and held her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Even beneath the bruises, her eyes still maintained an uncommon beauty.

"I'm sorry. I truly am. I…" she said, her voice weak and hoarse. A single tear shimmered down her cheek.

"Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault." Replied Eugene.

His cellphone started ringing. It was Casey.

"He sung like a canary. We have a lot to talk about when you get back. And you might want to let agent Nilsson know that her family isn't really in danger. Apparently Photoshop and voice changing software are enough to fool an inexperienced agent. And let a doctor check you out, will you. Judging by the shirt you were wearing when we talked and the amount of dried blood you left here at Castle, you're probably not that good yourself." Said Casey

"Will do, Casey. Thanks for the info." Replied Eugene.

He returned to Katrina's side and gently brushed his fingers on her forehead, waking her as softly as he could. "Hey, your family is fine. Casey said the man cracked. He used Photoshop and voice changing software to get you to believe him."

"So I put our lives in danger for nothing?" Asked Katrina, more tears were starting to wet her eyes and stream down her bruised face.

"No. You did what you thought was right. I don't blame you. If anything, I admire you even more, because now I know you care more about your family than your career, which is more than a lot of people can say nowadays." Said Eugene with a smile

"I can't believe you actually tried to get him to release me. How could you offer to stay behind knowing that you would most likely not make it out of there?" asked Katrina, looking up at him with teary bluish-green eyes.

"Well, I have my moments." Joked Eugene. "Seriously though, both our chances were dim, so I thought if at least one of us got out it was already more than I'd bargained for. And in the state you were in, leaving you there didn't even cross my mind." He added heartily.

Katrina was wordless.

"I should probably get going." Said Eugene. What he did next surprised even him. He leaned over Katrina and kissed her gently on the forehead. It seemed so natural that he didn't even think to stop himself. She looked up at him with a smile and took his hand, squeezing it tight. It was the only physical thank-you she could afford at that time.

Eugene Erskine left the hospital with his mood lifted and eager to hear everything that John Casey had to say about the strange man…


	8. Chapter 7 Ominous

Chapter 7: Ominous

As Eugene parked his car at the Buy More and made his way toward Castle, he kept wondering what the captured man had said. He rushed down Castle's stairs eager to talk to Casey, but it was Morgan who greeted him.

"Hey there tough guy. Come on, let's get those wounds looked at." Said Morgan as cheerfully as he could.

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to Casey." Answered Erskine quickly.

"Just let Morgan take care of those wounds. I knew you wouldn't let anyone care for you at the hospital, seeing as you were blind with concern for your beloved Katrina. Take care of those wounds and then come talk to me. I don't want you passing out in the middle of the debriefing session." Said Casey coming into the room.

"I wasn't concerned. Well… I was, but it was a professional concern. She is my partner after all." Replied Eugene trying not to blush.

"She isn't anything of yours, Casanova. You'll be her handler in the future and that's all. For the time being you two are just acquaintances. Although I'm quite sure you'd like to be more than that." Said Casey with a malicious and mocking grin.

"Oh, come on! This has got to stop Casey. What do you want from me!" replied Eugene half yelling in anger. He still hadn't gotten used to Casey's unnecessary snide remarks, although Chuck had told him that John did love to put people on edge just for the fun of it. Why couldn't he have remembered that before he yelled at Casey?

Erskine lowered his head, waiting for Casey to yell back, but he merely lifted his chin, half amused, and let out a short laugh that sounded more like a grunt. He then turned his back on Eugene and left the room.

As soon as Casey had gone out, Chuck arrived at Castle.

"What on earth happened to you?" he asked Eugene the moment he saw him.

"Casey didn't tell you anything?" asked Erskine. Even though it had only been a few hours since the recent series of events, he was surprised Casey hadn't warned Chuck at once.

"Well, I was in the Buy More for the day, so I guess Casey was just waiting for me to come down here so he could tell me personally whatever he needed to say. After all, it has only been about two and a half hours since he arrived at Castle, according to the recent log-in data." Replied Chuck.

"I see. Alright, I'll try to tell you the short version of it. Katrina… I mean… Agent Nilsson came over to my house during breakfast. She drugged my coffee and the next thing I know I'm in an abandoned warehouse tied to a chair. Katrina was also there, tied up to a chair next to me, but she had passed out. She woke up for long enough time to tell me she was sorry. She said they had taken her family and she had to do what they wanted. Based on what Casey told me through the phone, I guess they photo shopped a picture of one of her family members and used a voice changing software to further convince her. Pretty archaic stuff, but she is still an inexperienced agent, so she fell for it. At least she didn't give the man my real name. He kept calling me agent Stark. The man who abducted us was behind the power outage that prevented agent Nilsson from getting the Intersect upload. Once the man saw me wake up, he began torturing me, because Katrina obviously couldn't take anymore. She was in pretty bad shape. The man wanted to know the location of the Intersect. That was the only information I could gather before I managed to escape. I then called an ambulance and a cab. I returned to Castle with the strange man, which I had managed to subdue, and left him here with Casey for interrogation. I told Casey an even shorter version of the story I'm telling you now and I left at once for the hospital. I checked on Katrina to make sure she was fine and then made my way back here. That's pretty much the whole story." Finished Eugene with a weak voice.

"Wow, that's quite a full day." Joked Chuck. Erskine tried to laugh, but pain was still afflicting his broken rib and his face contorted in pain.

"Okay, let's get you out of that bloody shirt and put some bandages on you. Morgan, you help Eugene while I'll go fetch him some water." Said Chuck as he got up from the seat in which he had accommodated himself to hear Erskine's Story.

Eugene took off his shirt with difficulty. He had a really bad looking bruise on his ribcage, right where the crow-bar had hit. His broken rib still made it hard for him to breathe normally. Morgan handed him a few soaked cloths with which Eugene cleaned off the dried blood on his chest. Then Morgan started rapping bandages around Eugene's torso.

"Don't mind Casey. Inside that beastly, sarcastic and grumpy looking exterior there is a lot of sensitivity. That's why he made fun of you in the first place. Don't you think he's noticed you have feelings for Katrina?" said Morgan while he continued to wrap the bandages around Eugene.

"But I… It's not… I don't…"

"Hey, it's OK. Don't you think Chuck felt the same way about Sarah from the start? Sure, he denied it for some time, but he eventually came to terms with his feelings, and it was better for everyone. It was pretty obvious he liked Sarah, just as it's obvious you like Katrina. I know there's the whole 'spies don't fall in love' story, but I've seen enough to know that that's not a truth set in stone." Said Morgan through his beard. "Alright, you're all set." He added as he finished tying the bandages.

Chuck came back and handed him a bottle of water. Eugene drank with much gusto, for he had not had anything to drink since morning. After quenching his thirst, Eugene went into the other room to hear what Casey had to say, Chuck and Morgan followed him.

"Sit." Said Casey pointing at the chairs in front of him. "The situation is more complicated than we had previously imagined. After I had a nice little chat with the man Eugene brought in, I didn't find out much, but what I did manage to get out of him was still unnerving. The man was indeed behind the power outage, but he didn't act alone. It is much bigger than him. He works for a secret organization that calls itself 'Ominous'."

At that moment, both Eugene and Chuck flashed. The flash contained the usual things: dates, documents and aliases. But at the top of it all there was the silhouette of a man, the identity of which was unknown.

After the flash ended, Eugene and Chuck looked at each other, acknowledging that both had indeed experienced the same flash. They then looked at John and Morgan, who were eagerly awaiting some sort of explanation.

"Should I, or do you want to?" asked Eugene.

"Please, be my guest." Replied Chuck with a playful and sarcastic half bow.

"Okay, so here goes: Ominous is a secret organization that has been inexorably seeking the Intersect for the past year and a half. What they plan to do with it is still unknown, although I am led to assume it is obviously nothing good. Their latest connection was with The Arab, which they hired to carry out the task of eliminating suitable agents for the Intersect program. That was why the Arab was seeking to hire mercenaries. He had a list of agents that needed to be taken out. That's why the General ordered him killed and not captured; he was too dangerous to be kept alive. Even though the list he had was probably a fake, seeing as the NSA takes every precaution to keep suitable agents safe, The Arab's intentions still made him earn a kill order. But now we know he was just a puppet. The puppet master behind it all is the very same person who is commanding Ominous. The agent we captured is most likely not important, otherwise they would have sent a rescue party. I guess now all that is left to do is find out who is heading Ominous and what it is that they plan to do with the Intersect. It'll be hard, because they are well informed, well equipped and have a whole lot of funding. Some of the documents in the flash showed some pretty expressive number figures. I'd say the best place for us to start would be the money. Then we could move on from there." Said Eugene without stopping once. "Did I leave anything out?" he added looking at Chuck.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Replied Chuck.

"So we're dealing with a bunch of crazy rich people who want the Intersect for themselves. That sounds great." Said Casey sarcastically. "So, what are we going to do about the captured agent?" He added as he got up from his chair.

"I'd say we keep him here until Agent Nilsson gets out of the hospital. It's only fair she decides what to do with him, given everything that happened." Said Eugene

"You really think it'd be wise to let her kill the man in cold blood?" Chuck asked Eugene.

"Well, I hope she doesn't, but after what she's been through we owe her that choice." Replied Eugene with a thoughtful and sad face.

"There's nothing wrong with killing a bad guy in cold blood." Said Casey indifferently.

"Yeah, but she still hasn't killed anybody. I shot the Arab at our red test because he was torturing her. I'm not sure I would have done it in cold blood. Sure I had orders, but still… I don't know. You have to admit the situation was odd to say the least. It's not every day two agents get the same target for a red test. Besides, I never really pondered if I had what it takes to join the NSA. The opportunity presented itself and I took it for the simple reason that I didn't have a life plan yet. I don't regret it, but I still think I'm not capable of doing certain things unless it's unavoidable." said Eugene.

"I can relate to that. I would never have shot Shaw in Paris if Sarah wasn't in danger. I did what I did because I had no choice. It's great to know there are other agents who feel the same way." Said Chuck patting Eugene on the back. His wounds hurt when Chuck's hand came in contact, but he managed to smile back.

"So, when does Katrina get out of the hospital?" asked Morgan.

"I think she gets out tomorrow or the day after." Responded Eugene eagerly.

"Great. That way we won't have to waste too much food with our captive degenerate." Said Casey.

"So now we just have to wait for Katrina and see what happens." Said Eugene making his way toward Castle's stairs. After the long day, he could barely wait to lie down on his bed and get some well-earned rest.


	9. Chapter 8 Falling Off The Pedestal

**Chapter 8: Falling Off the Pedestal**

The phone rang during the early hours of the morning on the next day. Eugene promptly picked it up, hoping it was the hospital calling. And indeed it was.

"Hello, I am calling about one Katrina Nilsson. She will be ready to be taken home right after lunch. Will you be the one picking her up?" asked the doctor.

"Yes, it'll be me." Replied Eugene anxiously.

"Very well. Be here at 13:00 to check her out of the hospital. Have a nice day." finished the doctor.

It was still 6:47, but Eugene got up nonetheless. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, seeing as the news about Katrina had been the equivalent of an adrenaline shot to the chest. Erskine took off his clothes and got into the shower. He stood beneath the hot water wondering what Katrina would do to the captured Ominous agent still locked down in Castle.

Eugene got out of the shower and turned on his stereo. His Rush CD, which had more than fifty of his favorite songs from them, was still in it. As he turned toward the mirror to admire his body – not boastfully, but playfully so – the song 'Malignant Narcissism' started playing. Eugene stifled a laugh and went over to his drawer to pick out some fresh clothes. He took out some old jeans and one of his old college T-shirts. He put them on and made his way toward the kitchen. Eggs, bacon, toast and some orange juice was his breakfast of choice. Erskine ate heartily, for he was not planning to have lunch until after he had picked up Katrina from the hospital. Eugene was planning on taking her out for lunch. Not really the smartest plan when you're interested in a girl, but he just wanted to spend some time with her, regardless of the time or place. It was still 8:00 o'clock when Erskine finished his breakfast.

Seeking to kill some time, Eugene spent his morning reading 'Eye of the Needle', which was one of his favorite spy novels. He hadn't read it in many years and considered the book to be more than worth a re-read, which was why he was reading it for the fourth time.

By mid-day his eyes were sore from so much reading. He had been at it for four hours straight without even noticing.

"It's almost time to pick up Katrina!" said Eugene to himself, half angry and amused as to how long he had been immersed in the book. He put on one of his suits and made his way toward the Mustang at once. Eugene left Echo Park at around 12:30, anxious to arrive at the hospital.

Once he got there, Erskine went straight to Katrina's room, but her bed was empty. Then, when he quickly turned around, ready to yell out for a doctor, Katrina surprised him with a half laughing hello.

"So, did you miss me?" she added with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess having you around to drug my coffee is something I dearly missed." Joked Eugene. "Seriously though, I'm glad you're okay." He added with a more serious tone looking at her bruised face.

"Thanks." Said Katrina. "Now come on, let's get out of this place." She added nudging Eugene's shoulder.

"Alright. I thought about taking you out for lunch, if that's okay with you." Said Eugene unsurely.

"That's a great idea. I didn't have one decent meal in this place. I'm in dire need of some real food. They were going to give me a free lunch, but it seems I have a much better option now." She said enthusiastically.

Katrina was already fully clothed, so she and Eugene made their way to the reception. The checkout process ran smoothly, so five minutes later they were already in Eugene's Mustang. He took Katrina to 'LaBeouf', a great gourmet restaurant that had reasonable prices, or as reasonable as a gourmet establishment can be.

They sat down and got ready to order. Eugene looked through the menu curiously, observing the price of each dish as he turned the pages.

"So, what are you going to order?" asked Katrina, looking at Eugene with inquisitive eyes.

"I'm not sure. I think I'll go with the medium rare steak and a small 'Paulaner' beer."

"Ah, steak. A man after my own heart." Said Katrina truthfully, yet still in a playful tone.

"You eat meat!?" asked Erskine incredulously.

"Yeah, of course I do. Why would you think otherwise?" replied Nilsson, looking puzzled.

"Well, you know… I just thought… with a body like yours…" said Eugene hesitantly.

"A body like mine? What about it?" inquired Katrina.

"I… Uhm… Well…" mumbled Eugene as he tried to come up with a way out of the awkward situation he had just gotten himself into. "Perfect." He finally managed to say once he realized there was in fact no way out. "A perfect body." He repeated with a firm voice, looking into her green eyes. Katrina met his gaze with an intensity of equal proportion.

The sound of the waiter clearing his throat snapped them out of the staring contest they had started. Eugene placed his order and waited for Katrina to do the same. She ordered a steak as well, but chose orange juice instead of beer.

Eugene took the opportunity to change the subject and decided to ask Katrina something that had been nagging his mind since he had picked her up at the hospital.

"So, what happened to your hair?" asked Eugene. It was now a dark shade of brown, much like his own.

"Oh, that. Well, I dyed my hair for the red test and I hadn't gotten the chance to change it back. I was going to wear a wig for the mission, but I thought that dying my hair would decrease my chances of being discovered." Said Katrina. "It seems I was wrong though." She added bitterly, remembering the brief – yet still painful – torture she had endured during her red test after she was caught by the Arab.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. That red test was extremely unorthodox, and that's an understatement. Besides, it was my fault the Arab made us. I should have given him a higher dose of poison so he wouldn't have gotten the chance to make a run for the antidote. But that's all water under the bridge." Said Eugene trying to make Nilsson feel better. "Let's change the subject again, shall we?" continued Erskine with a smile as he poured himself a small amount of beer, which the waiter had just brought.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" asked Katrina.

"I… uhm… I don't know." Said Eugene as he tried to come up with a suitable lunch topic. "What about movies? We could talk about that." He finally said in an unsure tone.

At that moment, Katrina started laughing really hard. Eugene was completely taken aback by her reaction.

"What's wrong?" he asked in an undertone.

"Nothing. It's just that I remembered your 'Johnny English' reference from the other day. It took all of my willpower not to laugh then, because I wanted to play the part. I guess now I'm letting all the laughter out." Answered Katrina amidst her laughing.

"Right… I see. And what other movies do you like? Is there a specific genre or are you one of those people who watch pretty much everything?" asked Eugene.

"I watch all types of thing. I'm just not that into horror movies. I love a good thriller, but those horror movies that don't have any content and are filled with jump scares just annoy the hell out of me." Replied Katrina.

"Yeah, I don't really like horror movies either. What about Star Wars? Do you like it? Asked Erskine, hoping with all his might that she did in fact like Star Wars.

"Oh, I love Star Wars" My favorite one is 'Revenge of the Sith'." Said Katrina enthusiastically.

"Nice. That's a very good movie. It's my favorite one from the prequels too." Said Eugene.

"Prequels? What do you mean by 'prequels'?

Eugene Erskine took a moment to let her question sink in. He wanted to be sure he had understood it correctly. Nilsson just kept looking as Erskine, which caused him to realize she was dead serious.

"You've never seen the original trilogy?" asked Eugene in disbelief.

"Nope. I never even knew there was one. When is it from?"

"How can someone like Star Wars and not have heard about the original trilogy?" he thought to himself, still un-conformed with the fact that she had never seen the first three movies.

"Well, the first one came out in 1977. The other two came out in 1980 and 1983, respectively. They're quite old, but are still considered a paradigm in the movie world. After the next mission we're having a movie night, Nilsson. And I'm not taking no for an answer." Said Eugene emphatically.

"Alright, whatever you say." She answered, smiling at Eugene.

Before they started another staring contest, Erskine ordered the bill. Nilsson wanted to split it with him, but he would have none of it. Eugene finally agreed to let her pay the 10% service fee before swiping his credit card.

They made their way back to Eugene's car, which had been brought forth by the valet and was promptly waiting for them in front of the restaurant.

On the way back to Castle, Eugene decided to tell Katrina about the captured Ominous agent.

"Katrina… there's something I have to tell you." She didn't say anything, but kept looking attentively at Eugene, who took that as a sign to continue talking, "We've kept the agent who captured us locked down in Castle. I thought it was only fair that you decided his fate. After all, you were the one who suffered most in his hands." Finished Eugene.

Katrina just stared blankly at Erskine, who wasn't able to tell if she was in shock or merely planning what to do with the Ominous agent.

"Thanks… I guess." She finally managed to say.

"You're welcome… I guess." Replied Eugene trying to sound funny. But apparently he failed terribly, because Nilsson still had an impassive face.

Aiming to abate the silence that had sprouted between them, Erskine turned on the radio. 'No One's Gonna Love You', by band of Horses, was playing. Eugene quickly changed the track, hoping that Katrina hadn't recognized the song. He didn't know why, but listening to it in front of her made him feel embarrassed for some reason. He glanced at Nilsson and noticed a faint grin on her face. Erskine felt as though there were a hot, gooey liquid slowly flowing inside his chest, starting from his shoulders and pouring down onto his ribs, making its way to his abdomen. Eugene's whole upper body became warm; he could feel the blood from each heartbeat pulse through his veins, all the while feeling like he had become a live heat source, emanating energy in the form of awkwardness.

He looked once again at Katrina. She was now motionless, going along with the ride and not showing any sign of acknowledgement as to Eugene's actions. Maybe she hadn't noticed or maybe she was pretending to not have noticed, so as to not make Eugene feel bad or embarrassed about his less than normal reaction to the song that had just played on the radio. Erskine stayed silent for the remainder of the way back to Castle, not even daring to glance over at Katrina again.

When at last they arrived, Katrina was slightly hesitant to get out of the car. It was almost as if she was having second thoughts about facing the Ominous agent. Eugene's awkwardness had subsided, so he managed to say a few words. "Hey, it's okay. It'll be alright. Come on, let's go."

Eugene place his hand over hers, trying to be reassuring, but Nilsson withdrew at once. He looked at her and saw that she was pale.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that I was making a move on you. Not that I wouldn't, I'm just not doing it right now… I just…" and yet again Eugene was wordless. It was astounding how much Katrina affected him. He just couldn't form proper sentences, thoughts seeped through his mind without computing and all of his training in the art of seduction seemed useless. It was starting to really piss him off.

He recomposed himself and got out of the car. Katrina did the same shortly after. She was still pale, but seemed more confident about seeing the Ominous agent.

Erskine and Nilsson descended into Castle, but before they brought out the agent, Eugene decided to fully debrief Katrina. After all, she didn't even know about the secret organization called Ominous, or that the man worked for said organization. He told her everything the team had learned on the previous day, hoping it would help her in some way.

But she continued to look pale and expressionless.

Casey opened the Ominous agent's cell. The man was hunched over in the corner, with his thighs pressed against his chest and his head between his knees. He looked up at Casey and fear spread across his face. But when Katrina walked into the cell, a malicious grin took over his physiognomy. Seeing that man made fragments of her memory rush back to her and it was almost like she could feel the physical pain from the torture all over again. Anger, bordering on rage, filled Katrina. She wanted revenge. She wanted to inflict pain upon that twisted individual who had beaten her senseless. The man just kept grinning at her, as if savoring the recollections he had from the torture session. Katrina couldn't tell if the man was sick or just messing with her. Most likely both, yet she remained dubious regarding what to do. Nilsson picked up her handgun and pointed it at the Ominous agent. "Get up!" she said with hatred, switching off the gun's safety.

The man did so hesitantly, not taking his eyes off the weapon. After he got up, Nilsson just kept staring at him, the gun slightly trembling in her hand.

"She won't do it. She just won't." thought Eugene.

Katrina pulled the trigger and the man's knee went to pieces. He fell to the ground, putting his hands over his injury. Now both of the man's knees were damaged, seeing as the shot Eugene had given him had not yet healed.

Katrina lowered the gun and Eugene thought it was all over. But she began moving slowly toward the wounded enemy agent. Eugene started moving with the intention of stopping her, but Casey put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "Just let her deal with it." He said beneath his breath with a hardened expression, like someone who had been through something similar.

Nilsson stopped a couple of feet away from the man and loaded her gun once again. He had a face that was begging – almost daring – her to shoot. Without hesitation, Katrina Nilsson pulled the trigger and, as he fell to the ground with a bullet between his eyes, the deranged Ominous agent was no more.

As she turned around, Eugene noticed that rage was still predominant on her features. But as it slowly faded, tears began to overflow her eyes. She looked at Erskine, who was still in awe, and left the room. She did not succumb to her will to cry, although tears still shimmered beneath her eyelids.

Katrina put her gun away in one of Castle's lockers and headed home.

Eugene fell back onto a chair and buried his head in his palms.

"It's all my fault. I suggested that we leave the Ominous agent to her. I just didn't think she'd do it." Said Eugene in a voice that was evidently filled with regret and disbelief.

"hey, Erskine, don't be such a hypocrite, you shot at him too." Said Casey in an attempt to take Eugene's mind off Katrina.

"Yeah, but I didn't kill him, Casey." Replied Eugene looking up at the colonel.

"Then cut her some slack. She suffered more than you anyways. You said that yourself. Besides, he was a dangerous enemy operative who would have done the same thing if he had the chance. We're protecting the country here, Erskine. Although the ethical part may be a dilemma, you can be sure the purpose is the right one." Said Casey.

"What!? So you're saying the ends justify the means no matter what? What if the government wanted your daughter killed? Would you allow that? Questioned Eugene. He was being a bit extreme, but he knew Casey didn't think like that anymore. At least not entirely.

"Why would the government want that? Alex isn't a dangerous enemy operative bent on destroying the IOF. I know you were just trying to make a point, but make a better one next time. Even if we weren't absolutely sure the man worked for who he did, would you not have taken revenge on the guy who tortures you and would most likely have killed you?" asked Casey rhetorically in a final tone.

"Yeah, I guess I would have." Said Eugene. He was still upset with himself, but he couldn't think badly of Katrina. Casey did have a good point, so Erskine took comfort within the realms of logic, which was something he had not been doing for these past few days.

He got up, nodded to Casey and took off. Eugene was glad Chuck hadn't been down in castle when the assassination took place. He knew Chuck would react much like himself, if not worse.

What bothered him most was the fact that Chuck had warned him about the decision to let Nilsson handle the enemy agent, questioning if it was really a good idea.

"No, it was not. Most definitely not a good idea." Thought Erskine.

He had a tendency to idealize the people whom he admired, which was why he always became overly upset when said person broke his expectations. Eugene pictured Katrina as the perfect girl. Still, his vision was still clouded by his life before the NSA and the IOF. After all, he still didn't have that much field experience, so he wasn't sure what to expect from the people in this new world. Sure, his training had taught him how to handle bad guys, but they never really teach you to cope with those closest to you.

As he made his way back to Echo Park in his Mustang, Eugene pondered and analyzed his feelings for Katrina. He came to the conclusion that nothing had changed, seeing as he chose to believe that Katrina was in her right to exact her revenge and kill a cruel man in the process. But Eugene would only know how the recent event had affected her once they talked. Until then, he could only hope for the best.


End file.
